transtympanic

Transtympanic is an adjective used in medical contexts to describe something that passes through or is applied via the tympanic membrane (the eardrum). The term comes from Latin trans- “through” and tympanum “drum.” In practice, transtympanic procedures involve accessing the middle ear or inner ear through the tympanic membrane, or delivering substances across it.

Common applications include transtympanic injections or drug delivery, where medications such as corticosteroids are injected or insufflated into the middle ear to reach the inner ear. This route is used for conditions like sudden sensorineural hearing loss, Ménière’s disease, and autoimmune inner ear disease, and may be performed with the tympanic membrane intact or after placement of a tympanostomy tube. Intratympanic or transtympanic delivery aims to achieve high local concentrations with fewer systemic effects than systemic therapy.

Transtympanic electrodes and testing refer to procedures that place diagnostic devices through the tympanic membrane, for example transtympanic electrocochleography to measure cochlear potentials. The tympanic membrane may also be punctured to place instrumentation for certain imaging, surgical access, or electrophysiological monitoring. Tympanostomy tubes—tiny tubes inserted through the tympanic membrane to ventilate the middle ear—are another common transtympanic intervention.

Risks include tympanic membrane perforation, middle-ear infection, transient vertigo or tinnitus, and rarely damage to hearing. The suitability of transtympanic delivery depends on the condition, patient anatomy, and consideration of alternatives.